I can hardly believe that I've reached my 1 yr anniversary on No S! I think that means I am no longer a 'newbie' - maybe!

I can't remember how I came across No S - it might have been via Spark People. But once I read the explanation here on this website - I jumped straight in. It appealed to my logic - it made sense to me.

I've been an acceptably 'normal' weight all my life really. There was a short period, after I got divorced, when I went up to my highest weight at around 140lbs. That was temporary and I soon lost it by counting calories etc!

As many others have said, I've been through many, many different phases of eating systems: I became vegetarian when I was 18 and still am - along the way I've tried macrobiotics; food combining; eating dinner for breakfast; high fibre; low fat; low carb; raw; intuitive eating; mono-meals; juicing - oh, I really can't remember them all! I have always been on some sort of system or another.

For most of my life I've probably been a pain in the proverbial! Whatever system I was following I was obsessive about it - until I could no longer sustain it - then I'd try something else!

So - given that I've not been significantly over-weight - why was I constantly tweaking my diet? Well, what I've been wrangling with - all my life - is what I think of as a kind of Wild Beast - a raging force that compels me to munch and chomp and graze continuously - always looking for the next thing to eat - fearful without a snack in the bag.

I have, therefore, also worked my way through a whole host of books addressing the issue of emotional eating, craving, addiction, mind-body connection, spiritual nutrition, body clutter etc etc etc.

The BIGGEST thing that the No S system has given me is CALMNESS and SANITY in my relationship with food. I went from being a 3 meals and 3 snacks-a-day person, to being a 3 meals and 0 snacks-a-day person in the first two weeks of No S! And I didn't die! Amazing!

My weight has gone down on No S without me even trying - I've enjoyed reckless S days and abundant N days. I have even been able to slacken the reins and participate in social events on special S days when it seemed important. I can now actually make a decision as to whether eating a piece of cake is socially necessary or not. Rather than just eating the cake because everyone else is, and because it's in front of me.

I no longer feel powerless!

I've got no startling weight loss to report - I was a healthy weight to begin with - but I have gone down 5lbs quite naturally.

My metric is the habit - I've used HabitCal every single day since 13th June 2015 and these are the stats I use to measure my success.

Tada! that's where I need to focus. I've just started a fresh 21-day Vanilla streak - My goal is to keep reinforcing my N days with the No S habit - and if I can get those RED days down to approx 1 a month, and push my % over the next 12 months - I'll be very happy.

Time for breakfast _________________I love Everyday Systems :3

13.6.15 124.25lbs
21.11.17 113lbs

Last edited by RAWCOOKIE on Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:32 am; edited 1 time in total

Two red days a month average is stupendous! I had a LOT more, after my introductory "perfect" three months. I don't think I've ever had such a perfect streak again.

SO glad to know you. And SO glad it sounds now like you still do some experimenting, but the sense of being a bit frantic about it is gone.

Here's to a long stay here, if only to be a beacon to the newbies._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 7 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but harder to maintain)
Dec/17 23.8

No, I don't 'take' the 2 optional extra S days. I only take really 'special' days as extra S days - and they have to be planned in advance to be extra S days - anything else I call 'red'. I haven't actually counted up how many extra S days I've had, but I don't think those are an issue for me.

Thanks for all your support too!_________________I love Everyday Systems :3

Rawcookie -- I love this. Congratulations and thank you for sharing this post with us. I love the freedom, the calmness, the sanity; I love the emphasis on habit vs. pounds or whatever. I love that the habitcal is proving a really useful too for you.

So great to read about your profound, continuing success here, and so great to have you in this group. Thank you!

The BIGGEST thing that the No S system has given me is CALMNESS and SANITY in my relationship with food. I went from being a 3 meals and 3 snacks-a-day person, to being a 3 meals and 0 snacks-a-day person in the first two weeks of No S! And I didn't die! Amazing!